A Bit of the Flu
by Alleybat
Summary: A disaster strikes the world and the team is put on clean up duty in Gotham. Artemis' only concern though is the fact that Robin is sick as a dog.


**Title:** A bit of the flu.

**Characters:** Dick Grayson and Artemis Crock

**Rated:** T

**Prompt:** Dick and Artemis friendship, Flu

**Summary:** A disaster strikes the world and the team is put on clean up duty in Gotham. Artemis' only concern though is the fact that Robin is sick as a dog.

Artemis entered the cave just as Batman was giving a briefing for their mission over the big computer screen. There was a serious attack happening on major cities around the world and as much as he, or the league, didn't like the idea, they needed the team to do damage control in Gotham.

"Robin will meet you at the telephone booth..." Batman said and signed out.

It was that moment that Artemis even realized Robin was missing. He was usually hanging out by Wally, but there was no sign of him today. Kaldur, Aqualad, gave the team the order to suit up and they all went their separate directions to get into their gear. Not even five minutes later and everyone was gathered by the zeta tubes, ready to teleport to Gotham.

Artemis was the last to make it through to the cramped telephone booth that served as the camouflage for Gotham's zeta tube. There, she saw the rest of the team standing in a circle around a very pale looking Robin.

"A-alright guys" He said weakly. "The league already took care of the attack here, but there is pandemonium everywhere. Our job is to help the injured and-" he stopped for a minute when a coughing fit overcame him. "A-and make sure no one takes advantage of the chaos."

"Are you alright?" Artemis asked, concerned.

"Just a bit of the flu..." Robin said, running his arm over his forehead to wipe some sweat off. "I'll be okay."

He most definitely did not look okay. His legs were shaking so violently Artemis thought he was going to fall over. She looked at the rest of the team to gauge what they thought of the situation, but they looked more ready to go with the mission. Even Wally, Robin's best friend seemed unconcerned with his physical state. With a few orders from Aqualad and some directions from Robin, they made their way through Gotham; stopping a few looters and calling for ambulances for a few moderately injured people here and there. That was until they came upon a gruesome scene.

This must have been where the worst of the attack happened because there were bodies everywhere. Artemis counted at least twenty that could even be identified as people. Though she hated to think it, she was glad that her apartment was on the other side of the city and undamaged. She made a mental note to hug her mom when she got home.

"There is someone alive over here!" Kid Flash called out from an alley. "She's in bad shape though!"

The whole team ran to Kid's voice and reeled back when they saw the girl he was referring to.

She was young, probably ten years old, and she had a pipe going straight through her abdomen. Although, there wasn't any blood around her.

Robin pushed his way through everyone as Superboy made the suggestion to pull the pole out and Kid readied his hands over it.

"NO DON'T DO THAT!" Robin yelled before another coughing fit overcame him. "I-if you pull it out, you'll remove the only thing keeping her from bleeding to death! One of you! Call an ambulance!"

Kid backed his hands off the pole and grabbed his cellphone to dial 9-1-1 while Robin sat down next to the frightened girl.

"A-are you Robin? The boy wonder?" She asked.

"Yes, I am." Robin said with a weak smile. "What's your name sweetie? Do you know where your mommy is?"

"She...she pushed me into the alley when that big beam hit the city... and my name is Lily." The girl started crying.

Everyone looked at each other, they knew what that meant. This little girl's mother was right in the line of fire and desperately pushed her daughter into this alley to save her life.

"That's a beautiful name Lily" Robin said. "My best friend loves Lily flowers. I think you would like her... she's a redhead too."

"Really?" Lily said and they heard the sirens for the ambulance pull up.

Robin ran to meet the paramedics and explain the situation to them while everyone stood back, feeling useless. They all moved out of the way as the paramedics wheeled their stretcher into the alley. As they tried to pick Lily up she began to cry.

"Robin! Where are they taking me?"

Robin, looking paler by the second, ran to her side trying to reassure her.

"It's okay Lily!" He said "These people are going to help you... they're gonna take you to the hospital so you can feel better."

"Will you come see me?" Lily asked tears streaming down her face.

"O-of course I will," Robin said "I'll see you when you get out of surgery tonight okay?"

Lily nodded and the paramedics began to wheel her out. Robin stopped them outside the ambulance and gave them his phone number so he could visit Lily, like he promised. He headed back to where the team was standing looking more wobbly than ever.

"Kay guys... there's still..." He started to say and passed out.

He came to in the cave. Artemis had volunteered to get him back since she knew the quickest route back to the phone booth. She had just come back in to check on him when he woke up and saw her.

"How long have I been out?" he asked sitting up and immediately checking his phone.

"A few hours actually" Artemis said. "I thought you were too sick to be out there..."

"I'm fine I already told you..." He said. "Oh shoot! The hospital called fifteen minutes ago! Lily just got out of surgery, she'll wake up any minute!"

He started to run out of the room, but Artemis blocked his path.

"Artemis!" He yelled desperately. "You gotta let me go see her! Why are you stopping me?"

"Because you can barely stand!" She yelled back. "You need to worry about yourself! I'll go visit Lily!"

"No... I have to." Robin said pleadingly "C'mon Artemis... her mom is dead. I need to comfort her and make sure she's okay."

"Why only you?" Artemis asked. "Why can't any of the rest of us go while you rest?"

"Because, she needs me..." He said looking desperate. "I... I can't explain why... she just does... I'm the only one who..." he trailed off

Artemis sighed. She could tell she couldn't convince him. So she decided to go with him to the hospital, to make sure he'd be okay.

She waited outside the hospital room on Robin's insistence. A few minutes after he entered he re-emerged out of the window he had crawled in from.

"Nurse came in... but we talked for a minute... and she is doing fine." He said sliding down to sit next to Artemis.

"I don't get it Boy wonder..." Artemis said to him. "Why do you insist on going out and doing the hero thing, even when you are too sick to stand on your own?"

Robin paused for a minute; considering her question.

"Because... if I'm not out here... people die." He finally answered.

"But the rest of us could take care of-"

"Really? Everyone else almost killed that little girl in there. If I hadn't been with you... Wally would have pulled that pipe out... and she would have bled to death." He said sternly.

"That's kind of harsh to say they almost killed her..." Artemis replied even though she knew he was right.

"Look, I've made my share of mistakes doing this for so long." He said looking solemn. "I've made mistakes that cost innocent people their lives... I would hate for any of you to have to go through that guilt as well..."

Artemis didn't have a response for him. She just considered the gravity of what he said. She had never considered all the things Robin had seen and done as a sidekick for the years before the team was formed, but, being from Gotham, she was well aware of some of the horrors that can happen and how many people have died in schemes from Arkham's worst, and times of crisis.

He interrupted her thoughts by slowly standing up and holding his hand out to help her up. She decided against taking it, and got up on her own. The two of them peeked back into the hospital room to see Lily sound asleep.

Artemis knew that the little girl had a rough time ahead of her, her mother was dead and as far as Artemis knew, there was no dad in the picture. So, the sleeping little girl may be on her way to a relative, or foster care, when she gets better.

"At least she's alive..." Artemis said trying to find something positive.

"Sometimes..." Robin responded. "Being alive is the hardest challenge to face."

Artemis had no clue what he meant but before she could ask, he disappeared. She decided from there, that there were a lot of things she didn't know about Robin and what his life was like. She made a mental note to ask him when he was finally able to reveal his identity. But for now, she just watched the girl sleep some more before heading home to her mom.


End file.
